By Ahmed Ahmed
The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) with the support of the Lenovo Foundation has commenced training of 30 young women on digital creativity and innovations in Bauchi.
Mr Yunusa Yau, Executive Director of the Centre made the disclosure at the orientation programme for the young women on Saturday in Bauchi.
He said program is designed to facelift and empowers 30 young girls on digital skills, entrepreneurs as well as create opportunities for them on digital job in the state
According to him, the training with a theme “Digital Creativity and Innovation for Young Women, DICI-YOW” would end in Six months.
“The programme is a digital incubator for young women willing to enter the workforce for the purpose of taking their lives to greater heights.
“The young women participants would acquire basic and advanced digital and business skills and how to secure jobs and source entrepreneurship and business opportunities available at various capacities”, he said.
Yau said the participants would be introduced to websites and foundations they can visit to secure jobs, soft loans, and grants from government establishments and private entities among others.
They would be also introduced to the “Jobberman.com, ZipRecruiter, Teachaway, Careerjet, LinkedIn, Glassdoor sites, Bank of Industries (BOI), and Bank of Agriculture”.he said
Also Speaking, Mrs Harira Wakili of CITAD explained bridging the gender gap and the digital creativity for young women as part of empowerment.
“Empowering girls to have access to digital skills is one way of addressing the gender digital divide.
“But bridging the digital divide should not just be an end in itself. It should contribute to the greater empowerment of women to overcome gender marginalization,” she said
She added that digital skills should be the tools to create jobs as also a key to sustainable development
Wakili said women have been pushed to the lower rung of the ladder in the competitive age of digital communication, urging them to brace up to have access to the internet for employment avenues.
She said CITAD has been working in different fronts to contribute in addressing the gender digital divide which include
“Providing training for women and girls on ICTs, advocacy for girls to have access to the internet in schools, engaging in campaigns against gender based violence online, developing ICT entrepreneurship skills for women etc,” she said.